Courtroom Preparation and Technology

Do keep your communications to the point. Most folks don't appreciate messages that take forever to read.

Do check your spelling! You can do this in Outlook® Express by placing your cursor at the beginning of the text you want to check, then hitting the F7 key to bring up the spell checker. Similar shortcuts exist in other e-mail clients.

Don't rely completely on your spell checker! Remember, the spell checker only checks that your words match words in its dictionary—not that you've used the write word in the write place.

Do take a moment to enter a meaningful and possibly unique subject line for every e-mail message you send.

Do quote original messages in your reply. Sometimes judicious editing is required (and should be noted). Make your email replies easy to read and understand by quoting in a smart and useful manner.

Do avoid the temptation for the all-too-subtle comment and irony which may be lost without the verbal innuendo and in-person facial expression.

Don't forward chain letters and potential hoaxes. We'll discuss how to verify legitimate sources. Don't send messages to people who don't need to read them. If you receive a message sent to a list of people, do not respond needlessly to the entire list

Don't use an excessively long signature; they're a waste of bandwidth. A general rule of thumb is to keep your signature file down to 4-6 lines.

Don't type messages in all caps -- it's the equivalent of SHOUTING!!!!!

Don't assume your email is private. The general rule of thumb is: don't email anything that you wouldn't want published on the front page of USA Today or broadcast on the evening news. Avoid including confidential information (or, if you're at work, personal information) unless you have a way to encrypt it. Understand the significance of e-mail discovery, as illustrated in the court case of Frank Quattrone, among others.